All questions tagged Deloitte - Consulting Q&A - PrepLounge.com

Hi Natalie,

First, more than happy to quickly look over your resume and answer some quick questions.

Second, here are a few thoughts on how COVID-19 is affecting the consulting world.

INTERVIEW FORMATS

Most interviews will now be virtual. They may also involve COVID-19 as a topic!

For Virtual Interview Tips:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/virtual-first-round-interview-thoughts-advice-4310

For Coronavirus Cases:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/brain-teaser/beginner/coronavirus-times-194

https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/intermediate/chinese-chess-191

_____________________________________________________________________

PUSHED STARTING DATES

A number of existing offers as well as future offers are coming with delayed start dates.

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/pushed-starting-date-6807

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/semester-extension-due-to-covid-19-6724

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/mckinsey-offer-pushback-covid19-6768

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/mck-associate-job-offer-6737

(If this happens, use the time to both upskill and find a 2nd job/internship in the meantime)

____________________________________________________________

REDUNDANCIES RISK

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/covid19-redundancies-risk-6728

Some of the tier two firms are cutting costs through:

• Setting pay to 80%, with an opt-out policy (KPMG)
• Letting go of some staff with <6 months tenure (EY)
• Forcing unpaid leave for staff not on billable projects (Deloitte)
• Stopping bonuses

So far, it seems the tier 1 firms are cutting some bonuses and being stricter with the "Up or out" system. It seems unlikely they would rescind new hire offers, but you should always have a plan B.

Al this being said different geographies are different, as are different roles...even in tough times companies do hire and projects are won.

______________________________________________________________________

DELAYED AND REDUCED HIRING

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-will-hiring-efforts-change-in-the-middle-east-because-of-the-pandemic-and-budget-cuts-by-the-saudi-government-6871

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-consulting-companies-are-hiring-interviewing-right-now-6733

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/are-interviews-in-the-middle-east-still-going-ahead-6832

There are a lot of companies, a lot of offices, with a lot of different timelines. I recommend you reach out to the recruiters of the offices + companies in which you are interested! This had the added benefit of you potentially being put in touch with a potential referee!

Take the initiative, reach out to the offices/companies you want, hustle hard, and find the jobs that are available and fight for them. Don't speculate...read the cards TODAY and operate as such, until something changes, then adapt.

____________________________________________________________________

THREAT TO THE BUSINESS MODEL

The top-tier firms are very nimble. They are notoriously "immune" to economic cycles. This Is because:

• When the economy does well, MBB are hired to help companies do even better
• When the economy does poorly, MBB are hired to help companies survive (cost costs, adapt, plan for the new world)

I can tell you that MBB are hustling hard and that when companies are in trouble, they look to MBB first for guidance. Strategy consultants help firms navigate uncharted territory...these times are when they're most needed

_____________________________________________________________________

IMPACT ON TRAVEL

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/is-the-corona-crisis-going-to-lead-to-less-travel-in-the-future-for-mbb-consultants-6780

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/less-traveling-in-the-mena-region-6770

1) Yes it will affect the nature of work

2) I can't see it improving work-life balance. The fundamentals of top-tier companies in any industry are: Get the best, get the brightest, get the hungriest, charge them out for a lot, and work them hard

3) It'll change business trips in much the same way business trips will be changed across the world

4) It's anyone's guess as to whether WFH will become more acceptable in consulting. Personally, I doubt it.

__________________________________________________________________

IMPACT ON M&A ACTIVITY

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/potential-ma-activity-in-the-consulting-industry-anytime-soon-because-of-global-context-6771

Hi Piers,

I think Vlad's answer is spot on. Just a short note on when you are practicing cases

1. Resources: Consulting case 101 (https://www.consultingcase101.com/) is a great resource for practice cases and written solutions. There are also great resources on PrepLounge in the practice case section

2. Approach: Depending on how much time you have, I would recommend starting with Market Sizing cases first and trying to become quite proficient at those.

• It is a great way to practice thinking structured consistently throughout a case, as well as practicing mental maths. Both common pitfalls for candidates.

3. Make a schedule for live practice: Nothing beats doing practice live. Make a 2-4 week practice schedule and plan ahead to find peers as partners. I think it helps to have a professional mock interview after 5-10 practice sessions with friends or peers, then repeat the cycle. I think you get most of the relevant feedback and advice after 2-3 sessions, any more and the marginal benefit tapers out. Also, be sure towrite down the types of feedback you have been getting from your partners and make sure to ask your mock interviewer specific questions on the best way to address them.

Hope that is helpful!

Hi Anonymous,

Big 4 and MBB have a different focus in terms of projects. Specifically, Big 4 work more on implementation projects rather than strategy. However, many of the Big 4 have now also a strategy branch, thanks to the acquisition of Booz (PwC), Monitor (Deloitte) and Parthenon (EY), thus moving towards strategy and more direct competition with Tier 1 and Tier 2 companies. When they overlap, competition is mainly price based – MBB are far more expensive than Big 4 for a client.

In general, compared to Big 4, in MBB you get:

• Higher competition
• Stronger alumni network
• Higher pay (may depend by the country)
• Longer hours (may depend by the country)
• Shorter project, more strategy focus
• Support for extra stuff – there are specific MBB department for research and you can outsource most boring activity (eg slides realignment)
• On average, higher budget for travel
• More exposure to CXO level

Best,

Francesco

Hi there,

These large organizations are always super confusing!

My understanding is that Deloitte Monitor sits within Strategy and Operations (S&O). Monitor was a classic strategy group acquisition a few years back that then got rolled into.

The view was that, S&O was more the management consulting practice, which could stand to benefit from a pure strategy group.

So, Deloitte Monitor is similar to Strategy& in PwC, EY Parthenon, etc.

Also, feel free to ask these questions during coffee chats or discussions with HR. They know thier organizations are complex and they appreciate you doing the due diligence to find out where you would best fit!

Hi Noor,

I have planned plenty of cases for financial services. Feel free to reach out, and I would be happy to share with you.

Best,


André

Dear Chris,

I would strongly recommend you to follow up with your contact and ask him/her to check the state of your application within HR and get back to you. If that doesn't work, feel free to reach out to HR afterwards directly.

If you need any help with other firms, drop me in PM.

Best,


André

Hi,

It may vary from country to country, but in general, it has several parts:

1) Panel discussion with a case

Panel discussion is aimed to check how well you work in teams. Try to be nice and not push too hard. Leverage your industry experience and case prep experience. Feel free to contact me for panel case prep

2) 1-2 One-on-one interviews with managers that include case + fit.
One-on-one interviews are less formal and structured than in Big 3. 40% chance - marketsizing, 40% profitability, 20% standard market, company competitors, etc. framework. So prioritize your prep efforts accordingly. Also, be ready for fit: Tell me about yourself, why consulting, why company, leadership story, teamwork story, your questions to them

Best

Good luck!

Hi Anonymous,

I would recommend to consider the following elements to provide reasons on why you should consider a particular company:

• Sectors of interest: specific focus of the company in areas/products interesting for you
• People you met and culture: specific people of the company you discussed with, and the things they shared on the company
• Your growth opportunities: specific programs of the company you heard about to enhance your growth
• Company potential: how much the company grew in the last year, which is a good guarantee for your future career as well
• Size/reputation of the firm: smaller companies usually offer a more entrepreneurial culture, with higher growth potential internally. Bigger companies have more resources and support staff, and more prestige in terms of exit.

You may choose the three points more relevant for you and structure your answer accordingly.

Whatever topic you choose, you should apply a simple rule of thumb: if you can substitute the name of the company with another and have the answer that still makes sense, it means your answer is not specific enough. To be specific, you should talk about growth rates/specific people you talked to/specific research paper you read on the company. Yes, it will require some time spent to prepare this question in this way. But will also allow you to stand out, as very few people invest time preparing on this.

Hope this helps,
Francesco

Hi Anonym,

the specific questions depend more on the single interviewers than on the firm. Unfortunately, you cannot really prepare this so specifically.

However their written cases require a specific preparation. You can find an example here: https://www.preplounge.com/de/case-sammlung/candidate-led-ueblicher-stil/fortgeschritten/deloitte-consulting-case-footloose-74

If you like to exchange some thoughts on it, just let me know and we can have a call.

Best regards
Marco-Alexander

Hi.

I have a question with the same case. I am not sure how they have the following solution to the question:

Using the provided data, model a P&L for both business model options for year one. Calculate operating profit (ignore interest, taxes, and depreciation) and round dollar amounts to the nearest $100K.

Correct Answers

Model A – Carrier 1 only total revenue: $6.5M

Model A – Carrier 1 only total costs: $1.7M

Model A – Carrier 1 only operating profit: $4.8M

Model B – Multiple carriers total revenue: $6.9M

Model B – Multiple carriers total costs: $2.3M

Model B – Multiple carriers operating profit: $4.6M

Could someone please elaborate how they arrived at those numbers? I can't even find the revenue answer correctly. Thank you so much!

Regards,

Hi Anonymous,

assuming they are offering the Consultant role as a standard for post MBAs, the easier way to negotiate higher seniority once you receive an offer is to get offers from competitors and let the company know you are considering them – I know cases where this helped to achieve a higher salary/seniority.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Hi Anonymous,

as mentioned by Vlad, if the interview is based only on case questions you can prepare as you would do for a standard consulting interview at MBB, Strategy&, RB, OW, ATK, etc. I would clarify with HR if there are additional steps involved, such as a group or written case, which are present at Deloitte in some countries (eg Germany).

I helped several people for Deloitte and have 15+ real questions they asked, including written cases; for more information please feel free to PM me.

Best,
Francesco

Hi,

It's a very standard written case interview.

I've uploaded some samples here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zor4m49eyx5qxal/AABeUN6mtiGkWhEklRjszX2Oa?dl=0

(message me for a password)

The best way to prepare is the following:

1. Prepare for a regular case interview - it helps a lot. Basically, prep lounge website is about it
2. Practice making slides. Look for publically available MBB presentations for reference. Good books are "Pyramid Principle" and "How to make it with charts"
3. Practice reading cases fast and prioritizing the information. I found useful two sources:

• Written cases you'll be able to find in google or in case books. I've seen a couple in "Vault Guide to the Case Interview" and "Insead Business Admission Test"
• Harvard cases - either buy or try to find online. You can find a couple of MIT cases here for free: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/LearningEdge/Pages/Case-Studies.aspx Unfortunately free cases don't have the prep questions.

The appropriate structure for BCG written case is (However you should check the format with the company you are applying to):

Slide 1: Context, Objective, Recommendations

Slide 2-4: Analysis (Usually 1 slide with a table, 1 slide with graphs and 1 slide with pros and cons)

Slide 5: Next steps or risks & mitigation

Good luck!

Hi Neeraj,
McKinsey has two public-sector cases on their website (https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/interviewing). You could start with them.

Have a look at casebooks from business schools (Wharton, Kellogg, etc.). They often have some public sector cases. You may begin with reading one or two cases first so that you get an understanding of how to approach these cases.

Good luck with your prep!
Regards,
Daniel

Hi,

Next to asking this question here, I would advise you to reach out to the recruiter/HR-person/contactperson to ask what is expected of you and how you can best prepare.

Jorrit